Flexible sheet metal speed file

ABSTRACT

A flexible sheet metal speed file that can be secured to an air or electric sander of the vibratory type by the clamping devices ordinarily provided thereon for sand paper or emery cloth and is flexible and can conform to the undulated surfaces when used with the rubber backing of vibratory air and electric sanders. The cutting edges for the sheet metal speed file are provided by use of punches of any shape and tapered at their ends and driven through to their general diameter. Flexible leatherlike flaps are provided on the upturned ends of the flexible file body for engagement of the sander sheet to the sander clamping devices. This speed file has use on plastic filler material and selfcleaning and nonclogging.

United States Patent 172] inventors Isak Benis 1933 Fowler Ave., Bronx, N.Y. 10462; William Benis, 304 Washington Ave., Tappan, N.Y. 10983; Moshe Shraga, 2157 Wallace Ave., Bronx, N.Y. 10462 [21] Appl. No. 834,029 [22] Filed June17, 1969 [45] Patented June 8, 1971 [S4] FLEXIBLE SHEET METAL SPEED FILE 5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 51/170, 76/101, 51/382, 29/78 [51] Int. Cl B241 23/00 [50] Field of Search 51/1705, 170.3,209, 382, 395; 29/78; 76/101 A, 101 ASM, 24; 30/169 [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 49,836 9/1865 Shepardson 76/101 1,083,353 1/1914 Edison 76/101 1,373,882 4/1921 Glassco 76/101 Primary Examiner-William R. Armstrong Attorney-Polachek & Saulsbury ABSTRACT: A flexible sheet metal speed file that can be secured to an air or electric sander of the vibratory type by the clamping devices ordinarily provided thereon for sand paper or emery cloth and is flexible and can conform to the undulated surfaces when used with the rubber backing of vibratory air and electric sanders. The cutting edges for the sheet metal speed file are provided by use of punches of any shape and tapered at their ends and driven through to their general diameter. Flexible leatherlike flaps are provided on the upturned ends of the flexible file body for engagement of the sander sheet to the sander clamping devices. This speed file has use on plastic filler material and self-cleaning and nonclogging.

lFlLiEXlIBlLE SHEET METAL SPEED lFllLE This invention relates to a flexible sheet metal speed file adapted for use with power sanders.

Heretofore it has been the practice of body shop collision experts to mend dents or indentations with body filler mixed by the body expert with the catalyst at the time of application to the metal body so that the plastic hardens in the matter of minutes. The hardened plastic has been tediously filed by hand with a hard metal file and thereafter sanded with sand paper or emery cloth with a vibratory sander, thereby requiring two separate operations to finally prepare this surface for priming and its finishing coat. These are time consuming operations and done at high labor cost.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a flexible sheet metal speed file which can be used for both the filing and sanding operations and will greatly lessen the labor cost required of having to carry out these two operations of filing and sanding done heretofore.

It is another object of the invention to provide a flexible sheet metal speed file which can be acted upon by the vibratory action of the air or electric sander that will clear and maintain itself free of plastic particles and which will be self-cleaning and nonclogging.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a metal speed file adapted to replace the ordinary emery cloth or sand sheet that is used on vibratory sanders to rub down plastic filler which will be more effective and have longer life than the ordinary emery cloth, sand paper or hand filing and which will seldom have to be replaced as is necessary often with emery cloth or sandpaper.

It is another object of the invention to provide a flexible burred sheet file used for effective filing operations on plastic which can be attached to an air or electric sander by the same means upon the sander that emery paper is ordinarily attached to the sander, the attaching device ordinarily taking the form of a bent rod clamp extended over the folded up end of the emery cloth or sandpaper.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a flexible sheet metal file adapted to be accommodated over the soft rubber support of the vibratory sander which can flex to conform to the surface area being filed or sanded which has turned up ends with leatherlilte flexible material attached thereto which can conform to and be received by the attaching rod clamps already provided upon vibratory sanders so that a tight tension pull upon the metal sheet file is effected upon the flexible metal sheet file the same as applied to the emery cloth or sand paper for the attachment of the same to the sander.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a flexible metal sheet speed file adapted to conform to the standard vibratory sanders, serve the function of a file and outwear the emery cloth or sandpaper yet have the same feel, flexibility, tension, upon the vibratory sander as the ordinary sanding paper or cloth in its attachment to the sander.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a flexible sheet metal speed file having the above objects in mind, which is of simple construction, easy and inexpensive to manufacture, safe in use, serves for both filing and smoothing, outlasts sandpaper and emery paper, has little clogging, can be cleaned with cleaning liquid, can be made with different size burrs and thus graded, light in weight, and effective and efficient in use.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view ofthe flexible sheet metal speed file attached to a vibratory sander and being operated over an undulated surface.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through the sander, and the flexible file and clamp as viewed on line 2-2 of FIG. ll.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the flexible metal sheet speed file removed from the sander and constructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view ofthe flexible sheet file as viewed on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view as viewed on line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a flexible sheet file having a different attaching clamp for the flexible end of the metal sheet and with the metal sheet file being slightly modified at its ends to render the same more adaptable to this sander clamp, and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 2 taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. l-5, 10 represents generally an electric sander of the vibrating type having a vibratory motor housing 11 with cable cord 12 for the delivery of electric current thereto and a bottom platen l3. Adhered to the bottom platen 13 is a thick sponge rubber backing I4 over which applicants flexible metal sheet speed file 16 is extended, clamping devices 17 and I8 are provided on opposite ends of the bottom platen 13 for the normal attachment of emery cloth or sandpaper thereto. Such a clamp I7 or 18 generally consists of a rod 19 bent into a closed loop with a straight side 21 with a roller 22 thereon adapted to overlie the sanding paper or cloth and upon the loop 19 pulled rearwardly into a bifurcated member 23 lying on the top of the platen 13 adjacent to the housing 11 by an eccentric 24 pivoted within the bifurcated member 23 on a screw pin 26 and having a handle 27, the loop 19 is forced rearwardly by the enlargement of the eccentric 24 to tightly pull and press the roller 22 on the straight rod portion 21 of the loop and the sanding paper or cloth against a fixed clamp face 28 formed across the end of the platen 13 for this purpose.

In order that the present flexible metal sheet file can be similarly applied the flexible sheet file 16 is provided with flexible leatherlike upstanding flap ends 29 and 31 that can be placed under the clamping rollers 22 and forced as is the paper or cloth against the fixed clamp face of the platen 13.

This flexible metal sheet file 16 is formed with a main body of flexible sheet metal as indicated generally at 32, such as tin, stainless steel, malleable metal or any other metal or material of such hardness yet flexible to provide hard burred cutting or grinding edges such as indicated at 33. Such burred edges are such as can be provided with a square punch or of other geometrical shape section as can be best seen upon looking at the top view of such burred edges in FIG. 4. These burred edges of course can be made of other than a square punch or even molded and hardened for mass production or can be rolled between rollers having multiple punch ends. The ends of the main metal sheet body 32 are bent upwardly as indicated at 34 and 36 to provide for the attachment of the flexible flaps 29 and 3ll thereto. These flaps 29 and 31 are secured across their lower ends to the respective upturned ends 34 and 36 by respective clamp plates 37 and 3b, and rivets 39 and 41. The length of the body 32 will be the length of the soft rubber backing l4 adhered to the underside of the electric sander platen 13 so that its uptuming ends 34 and 36 will readily extend over the ends of the rubber backing or cushion material 14. Since the metal sheet body 32 is flexible as is sandpaper and emery cloth the cutting and smoothing action can be effected on undulated surfaces as indicated generally at 42, FIGS. 1 and 2, and depressed under pressure of the hand as seen at 43 in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The flaps 29 and 31 are cut away at their ends as indicated at 44 and 45 respectively to facilitate the threading of the flaps through the rod loop 19 when the rod loop is retracted to receive the flanges.

It is found that this flexible metal sheet file constructed with the burred edges 32 in this manner and used on the surfacing of plastic filled surfaces of automobile bodies and finer surfaces that these flexible tin metal sheets are self-cleaning and nonclogging and outlast several times ordinary sandpaper and emery cloth and not only effect the initial filing operation of the plastic but can do the final smoothing operation. Because of the flexibility of the sheet pressure can be applied to conform the sheet to the undulated surface and also to the degree and depth of cutting of the plastic surface being filed.

It should be understood that this size of the struck openings providing for the plural burr edges 33 can be varied in accordance with the geometrical shape of the punching tool, its taper and diametric size. For the principal purposes and for the plastic filled automobile body surfaces, the burrs struck from a punch that is squared or has any other geometrical shape in section, to the depth shown, will be most adequate and effective.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, a vibratory air sander 36 is shown. This sander has a top handle casing 47 and a ribbed bottom plate 48 to which a thick rubber backing 49 is secured by an adhesive sheet 51. This sander 46 is provided with a different type of clamp 50 than the sander device of FIGS. 1 and 2. The clamp 50 consists of an angle bent member Sll secured by screws 52 to the sander plate 48 and providing for a fixed clamp face 53 extending across the end of the sander plate 48 to which a flexible leatherlike flap 29 can be fixed. On the upper end of the angle bent member 51, there is pivoted on a pivot pin 54 a bent spring clamp lever 55 having a depending clamp end 56 with a pressure plate 57 adapted to engage the flap 29 and urged thereagainst by an anchored coil spring 58 mounted on the pivot pin 59. Thus the flange 29 is spring retained against the clamp surface 53 ofthe angle bent member 51 and can be released by depressing the inner end of the lever 55 as illustrated by the thumb and hand in FIG 6.

A flexible metal sheet speed file used with this electric sander and as indicated generally at 16', is generally the shape of the sander sheet l6 and all numbers generally apply as used in the above description of the flexible sheet 16 except for priming. This sheet 16 has up bent ends 34, a plate 37' and rivets 39 for securing the leatherlike flap 29' to the up bent end 34.

The ends of the clamping plate 36 and the upturned end 34' with this sheet 16 differs in that they are tapered or cut on a bias as indicated respectively at 37" and 34". This is to permit the end construction of the metal sander sheet to better conform to this particular electric sander 46 and with the ends of the flexible flaps 29 being cut away at 29", the flap will be generally retained across its full upper edge with no free ends that can be bent to put the flap 23 out of shape for easy cngagement with or disengagement from the clamp device 50 on the sander 46. The flexible sheet body 32 will be of the same thickness of the sheet 32 and will have the same punched burrs as indicated at 33' as provided for in the sander sheet 16.

It should be apparent that there has now been provided a flexible metal sheet speed file that will have lasting wear, can be easily connected to the power sander by the same clamp device provided on the sander as for sandpaper or emery cloth and that the metal sander can conform to the plastic filler material that the emery cloth or sandpaper can conform when being backed by the rubber cushions l4 and 49 of the sanders and that both heavy filing and smooth operation can be performed with this same metal sheet file.

We claim:

1. A flexible metal sheet speed file comprising a main body of flexible sheet metal having punched burred cutting projections exposed on the underside of the sheet for engagement with the surface to be filed, means at the opposite ends of the main body adapted for the rigid attachment of the file to the clamps on the opposite ends of a vibratory sander and over the rubber cushion backing of the same, said attachment means provided with leatherlike flap material connected to the ends of the main body and extending upwardly therefrom for engagement with the clamping device of the sander.

2. A flexible metal sheet spaced file as defined in claim 1, and said burred cutting projections having been developed from a tapered square section punch extended from the top face and through the bottom face.

3. A flexible metal sheet speed file as defined in claim 1, and

said burred cutting rojections extending uniformly across and throughout the ength of the main body of the flexible metal sheet.

4. A flexible metal sheet speed file as defined in claim 1, and

said metal sheet body having upturned ends extending perpendicular thereto, said leatherlike flaps being secured by their lower edges to the upturned ends of the body.

5. A flexible metal sheet metal speed file as defined in claim 4, said leatherlike flaps being secured to the upturned ends by a clamp plate and rivets extending through the plate, flap and upturned end of the main body. 

1. A flexible metal sheet speed file comprising a main body of flexible sheet metal having punched burred cutting projections exposed on the underside of the sheet for engagement with the surface to be filed, means at the opposite ends of the main body adapted for the rigid attachment of the file to the clamps on the opposite ends of a vibratory sander and over the rubber cushion backing of the same, said attachment means provided with leatherlike flap material connected to the ends of the main body and extending upwardly therefrom for engagement with the clamping device of the sander.
 2. A flexible metal sheet spaced file as defined in claim 1, and said burred cutting projections having been developed from a tapered square section punch extended from the top face and through the bottom face.
 3. A flexible metal sheet speed file as defined in claim 1, and said burred cutting projections extending uniformly across and throughout the length of the main body of the flexible metal sheet.
 4. A flexible metal sheet speed file as defined in claim 1, and said metal sheet body having upturned ends extending perpendicular thereto, said leatherlike flaps being secured by their lower edges to the upturned ends of the body.
 5. A flexible metal sheet metal speed file as defined in claim 4, said leatherlike flaps being secured to the upturned ends by a clamp plate and rivets extending through the plate, flap and upturned end of the main body. 